Inclusive education: Implementing recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission
Consultation has concluded
This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 20 May - 13 June 2025. Below is a record of the engagement.
We are seeking your views on proposed changes to education laws to implement recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission.
What's being decided?
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability made 15 recommendations to prevent discrimination and promote safe, quality and inclusive education in all Australian schools.
To implement some of those recommendations, we need to amend South Australian education laws.
Draft legislation has now been developed which will support theContinue reading
Consultation has concluded
This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 20 May - 13 June 2025. Below is a record of the engagement.
We are seeking your views on proposed changes to education laws to implement recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission.
What's being decided?
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability made 15 recommendations to prevent discrimination and promote safe, quality and inclusive education in all Australian schools.
To implement some of those recommendations, we need to amend South Australian education laws.
Draft legislation has now been developed which will support the implementation of the following two recommendations:
- Recommendation 7.1 - Provide equal access to mainstream education and enrolment
- Recommendation 7.2 – Prevent the inappropriate use of exclusionary discipline against students with disability
Your feedback on the proposed changes will be important in finalising the amendments that will be put to Parliament.
Background
In 2023 the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission) made 222 recommendations on how to improve laws, policies, structures and practices to ensure a more inclusive society that supports the rights and independence of people with disability. Fifteen of those recommendations related to the education system.
In December 2024, the South Australian Government, Catholic Education South Australia and the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia announced an agreed cross-sectoral approach to implementing key recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission related to inclusive education.
To support the implementation of Disability Royal Commission Recommendation 7.1 (Provide equal access to mainstream education and enrolment) and Recommendation 7.2 (Prevent the inappropriate use of exclusionary discipline against students with disability), amendments to the Education and Children’s Services Act 2019 and the associated regulations have now been developed.
The government will continue to work on the implementation of its response to other inclusive education recommendations made by the Royal Commission.
Get involved
Find out more:
- review the draft Amendment Bill and draft Amendment Regulations
- read our explanatory paper
- take a look at our FAQs
Have your say by:
- completing our survey; or
- sending your written submission to edlawreform@sa.gov.au including your contact details such as name, address, telephone number and email. Please note that written submissions may be published. If you do not wish for your submission to be published, please state this when you send your submission.
What are the next steps?
We will consider your feedback and provide a report to the Minister for Education, Training and Skills before the draft Bill is finalised for consideration in Parliament.
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Overview of consultation and introduction of Bill into Parliament
The Education and Children’s Services (Inclusive Education) Amendment Bill 2025 was released on YourSAy for a four-week consultation period from 20 May – 13 June 2025. In addition, the Minister for Education, the Hon Blair Boyer, wrote to 51 stakeholders inviting their feedback and offering an opportunity to meet with officers of the Department for Education.
JFA Purple Orange was engaged to facilitate three focus group meetings to seek feedback on the reforms directly from children and young people with lived experience of disability as well as parents of children with disability.
Over the course of the consultation, 32 written responses were received from stakeholders, 71 respondents participated in the YourSAy survey and a total of 16 meetings were held with stakeholders. The measures in the Bill were well supported, with stakeholders particularly welcoming the increase in transparency and accountability that the new reporting provisions will bring and the cross-sector approach.
The Bill was introduced into Parliament on 3 September 2025 and passed the House of Assembly on 18 September 2005.
You can find the Bill here and track its progress in Parliament here.
Key Dates
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20 May 2025
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13 June 2025
Lifecycle
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Open
Inclusive education: Implementing recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission has finished this stageThis consultation is open for contributions.
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Under Review
Inclusive education: Implementing recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission has finished this stageContributions to this consultation are closed for evaluation and review. The project team will report back on key outcomes.
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Final report
Inclusive education: Implementing recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission is currently at this stageThe final outcomes of the consultation are documented here.
FAQs
- What is Disability Royal Commission Recommendation 7.1?
- What is Disability Royal Commission Recommendation 7.2?
- What are the main changes that would be made by the Amendment Bill and the Amendment Regulations?
- Why does the Amendment Bill include a definition of 'disability' and where does the definition come from?
- What is meant by 'unjustifiable hardship'?
- How was the wording of the proposed new object of the Act developed regarding the provision of inclusive education and children's services in the State?
- What matters must a principal consider before suspending, excluding, or expelling a child from school?
- Will the information that principals report to the Minister be made public?
- What is happening with the other recommendations of the Royal Commission related to inclusive education?
Who's Listening
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Department for Education
LREmail edlawreform@sa.gov.au